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Description
One Last Dream - Round 1

Out of Sight, Out of Mind

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"Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn!"  Karoline cursed as she dodged and weaved through the different matches.  Fire, bullets, and plasma galore flew to and fro as she did her best to avoid them, with a few close calls here and there.  It didn't take long before she arrived at the temple itself and began walking up the steps.  "Almost got crushed by the iron giant and imp back there.  Those two are friggin' nuts!"  She said aloud to herself as she rested at the top of the temple steps.  "I hope Miko-chan got through there alright."  'Looking' back to check on the priestess' condition.

Erian gracefully evaded the hazards of the battlefield.  Bobbing in and out, and had her own close calls.  She arrived moments later, no worse for wear than Karoline by the time she reached the temple, with nothing more than a few bullet holes in her robes.

"Good to see you made it, Miko-chan!  Just a bit further now."  Karoline said as she ran into
the temple.  'Hopefully the smaller space will make it harder for her to use her staff.'  She thought as she ran deeper into the temple.

"She won't stop, will she?"  Erian asked herself with a sigh and she followed Karoline into the temple.

The temple itself was a large and ancient structure that looked older than the monuments of the Greeks and Egyptians, far older than any known preceding civilization.  The out walls of the temple looked to be inspired by a mixture of several ancient civilizations, including the ones previously mentioned.  Many ancient carvings and inscriptions lined the inner walls of the temple, all telling of strange stories from days of past.  Some told of stories of the time, but most told of a much more sinister tale.  One that brought the end to the great people that built the temple.

Ducking into a small room deep in the temple, Karoline decided it an appropriate place to fight the priestess in.  It was full of upturned stones one the floor which she could use to take advantage of Erian's inability to only be able to detect aura, and some ammunition to throw at her if it came down to it.  In the center of the room was a set of stairs that descended even further into the ruins that she could use if things didn't turn out so well.  All in all, it was a fairly decent place she could use to win this fight.

'Well, it would be if it didn't feel like my back was being stabbed by a couple of flaming hot knives.'  Karoline thought as she tried to massage her back.

"Are you through running, Ms. Karoline?"  Came Erian's voice from the doorway, breaking Karoline from her thoughts.

"Yeah, this is it.  So get ready for me!"  The taller girl shouted as she charged at the shorter one once more.  Unfortunately neither were able to engage in combat as a tremendous quake shook the temple and caused the stone floor give out beneath them.

Falling without some sort of safety measure is a rather scary experience.  Falling without any safety measures and unable to see when it would end is downright horrifying.  Neither girls were an exception to the rule, as both fell from a great height, screaming.  To say their landing was less than stellar would be putting it mildly, but both miraculously managed to survive the fall, despite having more than a few bruises and cuts.

The room they fell into had no visible light coming into it, as if the abyss of shadows consumed the light.  Stone lay all around the two from their fall and the staircase stood nearby the two, not even phased by the fall.  What stood out in the room, was an enormous wall that faced the stairs.  Inscriptions of madness and horror was written upon it, and emanated a mist of fear and hatred.  It was as if they had descended into hell itself.

"Okay, I'll admit it.  Not one of my brightest moves back there."  Karoline groaned in pain as she slowly picked herself up.

"I would have to have to agree."  Erian said as she used her staff to help pick herself up.

"What say we try this again, shall we?"  Karoline asked while cracking her knuckles.

"Yes, lets."  Erian said, resuming her previous stance.

Unlike last time, Karoline started with a different tactic this time around.  She circled around Erian until the priestess' back faced the wall, and then slowly approached her, being sure not to trip on the stones.  Once she was sure she was in range, she sent out a powerful flurry of kicks to keep Erian from taking advantage of her staff's range.

Erian stood fast and block the series of kicks, but could not help but be slowly forced backward.  With each successive kick, the priestess noticed Karoline getting progressively sloppier in her attacks.  Taking advantage of this error, Erian parried a kick and forced Karoline's leg up.  Catching Karoline off-balance, she thrust her staff between Karoline's legs and lifted the taller girl over head and into the wall behind with tremendous force.

"Aaaahhh!"  Karoline cried in pain as she hit the wall hard enough to leave a crack in it.  Reacting on instinct, she began rolling to the side, narrowly dodging Erian's staff and saving her gem.  Acting quickly, she performed a kip-up back onto her feet and assumed a defensive stance this time.

Unbeknown to both martial artists, a black sludge began to seep from the crack that had been made during their fight.  A poisonous aura that Erian would have noticed if Karoline didn't take up all of her attention.

Steadily moving closer into Erian's range, Erian would lightly probe Karoline's defenses with her staff to ensure that Karoline stayed at the edge of her range, to which Karoline would parry as she slowly grew closer.

Taking the initiative, Karoline switched to an offensive stance and lunged forward, leaving her shoulder exposed as she moved within range.  Erian quickly swung her staff towards Karoline's jewel in hopes of forcing her to retreat back, only for Karoline to duck into a crouch.  Using her temporary advantage and position, she performed a sweep kick that swept Erian onto her back and into the small puddle of sludge that had pooled beneath the crack.

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Freedom.  Something I have desperately desired.  Something I have yearned for after that damn woman sealed me within my tomb.  At last! I am free from my tomb!  Oh the delicious irony that it would be her of all people to free me.  And what's this?  An oh so suitable mind to corrupt.  I will have my revenge!

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"Eeaahhh!" Erian screamed in pain as the sludge crawled up her skin and forced its way down her throat.

"Miko-chan!"  Karoline exclaimed in panic and worry as she quickly knelt by Erian's side.  "Miko-chan are you okay?"

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The consuming darkness was all Erian could feel.  Every fear, every anger, every piece of hatred, every haunting memory that she ever experienced wracked her body.  It clouded her mind and made every cell in her body scream out in pain.  The pain had to stop somehow, and Karoline was the only person in the room.

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Erian's hand suddenly shot out and grasped Karoline by throat, leaving the taller girl choking in confusion.  This in turn caused Karoline to sent a chop at Erian's neck to force the priestess to let go and attend to her own choking neck.

Karoline quickly got up and backed off, putting distance between the two as she tried to process Erian's sudden change in demeanor.  "Miko-chan, what the hell?!  What's gotten into you?"

The only response Karoline received from the possessed priestess was a blood-raged battle cry and a series of relentless attacks.  Kick after punch, after punch after kick rained down upon Karoline as she blocked and parried Erian's reckless attacks.  It thoroughly surprised Karoline that the short priestess could hit so hard despite her small stature, but this was not the time to contemplate such things.

After blocking a kick, she grabbed Erian's leg and kicked the other out from beneath Erian, causing the girl to fall.  Still holding onto the possessed priestess' leg, she began to swing Erian in a circle similar to how Mario would use his spin throw on Bowser.  And just like the good plumber, Karoline tossed Erian, sending her skidding across the floor.

Without a moment to lose, Karoline made a dash for Erian's staff as a means to bolster her defense.  "Hope you don't mind me borrowing this, Miko-chan."  Saying it more to herself than Erian.  It wasn't long after that that Erian was upon Karoline again.

After several exchanged blows and blocks, the possessed Erian grabbed the staff, forcing both girls to struggle for possession of the staff and close enough to even butt heads.  "I don't know what the hell's gotten into you, Miko-chan, but I will stop you!"  Sure enough, Karoline pulled her head back and brought it down upon Erian's.

The sound of pebbles and wood hitting the stone floor echoed in the dark room.  Both girls stood in a daze from the impact of the headbutting, more so Karoline since she unintentionally hit and broke Erian's gem.  "You're kidding.  It was on her head of all places."  She said in a dazed voice.  She quickly shook her head and regained her bearings, deciding to kick the ass of the person who thought of the insulting joke of having a gem on a blind girl's forehead as a third eye later, and focus on her fight.

Acting quickly, Karoline ran at Erian one last time.  With full momentum, Karoline ran slightly past the possessed priestess and performed a roundhouse kick to the back of her head.  Erian  unceremoniously fell face first onto the ground with a loud thud, effectively knocking her out.

"Damn, you really made me work for that, didn't you, Miko-chan?"  Karoline said as she walked over Erian.  Both of them would definitely feel all of the pain when they woke up the next morning from the beating they gave each other.  None of that seemed to amount to the excruciating pain that Karoline was feeling, which was now focused in her shoulder blades.  "Shit.  Hurts like a bitch, and you didn't even hit me back there."

Kneeling down by Erian and flipping her over so she would be facing up.  An expression of pain was written across her face, but it didn't seem to be caused by the blows the two girls traded.  Sensing the pain, Karoline did the only thing she could think of that would help.  She sat down and placed Erian's head in her lap before saying, "This may sound strange, but I hope my singing does its job."

Taking a deep breath, Karoline began to sing a calming and soul touching song that echoed throughout the ruins.  Her symphonic voice held such beauty that it would drive angels to jealousy.  Soon, more voices began to join with Karoline in her song, making it seem as if a choir of heavenly angels were singing for the girls.

Erian soon awoke to the melodious voices that seemed to be singing for her.  The anger, the sadness, the pain, and the memories had suddenly vanished.  Peace, that was the sensation that the singing brought.  Suddenly, she began violently coughing, and vomited a strange black sludge.  It began to evaporate the moment it hit the ground, hissing and crying in pain as it disappeared.  Unknown to both, the pool of sludge that had gathered by the wall began to do the same.

"M- Ms. Karoline?  Wh-what happened?"  Erian asked weakly.

Karoline immediately stopped singing as she turned her attention to Erian.  "Miko-chan!"  Hugging the priestess tightly with a fox-like smile.  "You're okay!"

"Ms. Karoline, what happened to me?"  Erian asked again.

"I'm not sure.  You seemed to go into some kind of bloodthirsty rage for some reason."  Karoline explained.  "Went completely wild and unlike yourself.  Are you some kind of berserker?"

"Wh-what?!  B-but that's not possible!  I haven't felt the presence of any demons, nor have I been asleep!"  Erian exclaimed in panic.

"Well, I think it had to do with that stuff you threw up."  Karoline pointed out.  "What did you eat this morning?"

"Nothing that- Wait, that puddle I fell in.  I remember landing in it and then the pain.  That liquid must be the cause."  Erian recalled as she looked to where the puddle had been, only to sense nothing.

Karoline looked up and towards the wall where the puddle had been.  "I'm afraid I can't see anything over there, Miko-chan."

"I don't sense anything either."  Erian confirmed.

"Well, regardless, let's get the hell out of here."  Karoline said as she slowly picked herself up.

"Yes, we shou-"  Stopping mid-sentence as she clutched her head in pain.

"Uh, yeah.  That'd be my fault."  Karoline said with a hint of embarrassment.  "I kinda hit your head a few times to knock you out, and broke your gem by accident.  Anyway, let me get you out of here."  She put Erian's arm around her shoulder and let the shorter girl lean on her to help the priestess walk.  She made sure to pick up and give the priestess her staff before carrying Erian up the stairs.

The assent from the stairs and out of the temple had been a silent one, as both were preoccupied by the events that had occurred.  It wasn't until they reached the Arch that Erian broke the silence, "M- I mean, Karoline?"

"What's up, Miko-chan?"  Smiling now that the priestess said her name without the formality.

"I just wanted to thank you.  For helping me."

"Hey, don't worry about it.  What are friends for?"  Karoline said with her trademark smile as they a left the Ancient Ruins through the portal.

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That voice!  That damnable voice!  Curse that wretch of a woman to hell!

Never mind, it matters not.  I am free and she does not possess nearly as much power as her.  It is only a matter of time before I may resume my once tarnished dream.  This world shall be mine, and I will have my revenge!  She will experience a hell worse than any other as the world she once loved and protected, is consumed and corrupted.

After all, the nightmare has only just begun.

Description
One Last Dream - Round 1

Out of Sight, Out of Mind

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"Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn!"  Karoline cursed as she dodged and weaved through the different matches.  Fire, bullets, and plasma galore flew to and fro as she did her best to avoid them, with a few close calls here and there.  It didn't take long before she arrived at the temple itself and began walking up the steps.  "Almost got crushed by the iron giant and imp back there.  Those two are friggin' nuts!"  She said aloud to herself as she rested at the top of the temple steps.  "I hope Miko-chan got through there alright."  'Looking' back to check on the priestess' condition.

Erian gracefully evaded the hazards of the battlefield.  Bobbing in and out, and had her own close calls.  She arrived moments later, no worse for wear than Karoline by the time she reached the temple, with nothing more than a few bullet holes in her robes.

"Good to see you made it, Miko-chan!  Just a bit further now."  Karoline said as she ran into
the temple.  'Hopefully the smaller space will make it harder for her to use her staff.'  She thought as she ran deeper into the temple.

"She won't stop, will she?"  Erian asked herself with a sigh and she followed Karoline into the temple.

The temple itself was a large and ancient structure that looked older than the monuments of the Greeks and Egyptians, far older than any known preceding civilization.  The out walls of the temple looked to be inspired by a mixture of several ancient civilizations, including the ones previously mentioned.  Many ancient carvings and inscriptions lined the inner walls of the temple, all telling of strange stories from days of past.  Some told of stories of the time, but most told of a much more sinister tale.  One that brought the end to the great people that built the temple.

Ducking into a small room deep in the temple, Karoline decided it an appropriate place to fight the priestess in.  It was full of upturned stones one the floor which she could use to take advantage of Erian's inability to only be able to detect aura, and some ammunition to throw at her if it came down to it.  In the center of the room was a set of stairs that descended even further into the ruins that she could use if things didn't turn out so well.  All in all, it was a fairly decent place she could use to win this fight.

'Well, it would be if it didn't feel like my back was being stabbed by a couple of flaming hot knives.'  Karoline thought as she tried to massage her back.

"Are you through running, Ms. Karoline?"  Came Erian's voice from the doorway, breaking Karoline from her thoughts.

"Yeah, this is it.  So get ready for me!"  The taller girl shouted as she charged at the shorter one once more.  Unfortunately neither were able to engage in combat as a tremendous quake shook the temple and caused the stone floor give out beneath them.

Falling without some sort of safety measure is a rather scary experience.  Falling without any safety measures and unable to see when it would end is downright horrifying.  Neither girls were an exception to the rule, as both fell from a great height, screaming.  To say their landing was less than stellar would be putting it mildly, but both miraculously managed to survive the fall, despite having more than a few bruises and cuts.

The room they fell into had no visible light coming into it, as if the abyss of shadows consumed the light.  Stone lay all around the two from their fall and the staircase stood nearby the two, not even phased by the fall.  What stood out in the room, was an enormous wall that faced the stairs.  Inscriptions of madness and horror was written upon it, and emanated a mist of fear and hatred.  It was as if they had descended into hell itself.

"Okay, I'll admit it.  Not one of my brightest moves back there."  Karoline groaned in pain as she slowly picked herself up.

"I would have to have to agree."  Erian said as she used her staff to help pick herself up.

"What say we try this again, shall we?"  Karoline asked while cracking her knuckles.

"Yes, lets."  Erian said, resuming her previous stance.

Unlike last time, Karoline started with a different tactic this time around.  She circled around Erian until the priestess' back faced the wall, and then slowly approached her, being sure not to trip on the stones.  Once she was sure she was in range, she sent out a powerful flurry of kicks to keep Erian from taking advantage of her staff's range.

Erian stood fast and block the series of kicks, but could not help but be slowly forced backward.  With each successive kick, the priestess noticed Karoline getting progressively sloppier in her attacks.  Taking advantage of this error, Erian parried a kick and forced Karoline's leg up.  Catching Karoline off-balance, she thrust her staff between Karoline's legs and lifted the taller girl over head and into the wall behind with tremendous force.

"Aaaahhh!"  Karoline cried in pain as she hit the wall hard enough to leave a crack in it.  Reacting on instinct, she began rolling to the side, narrowly dodging Erian's staff and saving her gem.  Acting quickly, she performed a kip-up back onto her feet and assumed a defensive stance this time.

Unbeknown to both martial artists, a black sludge began to seep from the crack that had been made during their fight.  A poisonous aura that Erian would have noticed if Karoline didn't take up all of her attention.

Steadily moving closer into Erian's range, Erian would lightly probe Karoline's defenses with her staff to ensure that Karoline stayed at the edge of her range, to which Karoline would parry as she slowly grew closer.

Taking the initiative, Karoline switched to an offensive stance and lunged forward, leaving her shoulder exposed as she moved within range.  Erian quickly swung her staff towards Karoline's jewel in hopes of forcing her to retreat back, only for Karoline to duck into a crouch.  Using her temporary advantage and position, she performed a sweep kick that swept Erian onto her back and into the small puddle of sludge that had pooled beneath the crack.

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Freedom.  Something I have desperately desired.  Something I have yearned for after that damn woman sealed me within my tomb.  At last! I am free from my tomb!  Oh the delicious irony that it would be her of all people to free me.  And what's this?  An oh so suitable mind to corrupt.  I will have my revenge!

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"Eeaahhh!" Erian screamed in pain as the sludge crawled up her skin and forced its way down her throat.

"Miko-chan!"  Karoline exclaimed in panic and worry as she quickly knelt by Erian's side.  "Miko-chan are you okay?"

_______________________________________________________________

The consuming darkness was all Erian could feel.  Every fear, every anger, every piece of hatred, every haunting memory that she ever experienced wracked her body.  It clouded her mind and made every cell in her body scream out in pain.  The pain had to stop somehow, and Karoline was the only person in the room.

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Erian's hand suddenly shot out and grasped Karoline by throat, leaving the taller girl choking in confusion.  This in turn caused Karoline to sent a chop at Erian's neck to force the priestess to let go and attend to her own choking neck.

Karoline quickly got up and backed off, putting distance between the two as she tried to process Erian's sudden change in demeanor.  "Miko-chan, what the hell?!  What's gotten into you?"

The only response Karoline received from the possessed priestess was a blood-raged battle cry and a series of relentless attacks.  Kick after punch, after punch after kick rained down upon Karoline as she blocked and parried Erian's reckless attacks.  It thoroughly surprised Karoline that the short priestess could hit so hard despite her small stature, but this was not the time to contemplate such things.

After blocking a kick, she grabbed Erian's leg and kicked the other out from beneath Erian, causing the girl to fall.  Still holding onto the possessed priestess' leg, she began to swing Erian in a circle similar to how Mario would use his spin throw on Bowser.  And just like the good plumber, Karoline tossed Erian, sending her skidding across the floor.

Without a moment to lose, Karoline made a dash for Erian's staff as a means to bolster her defense.  "Hope you don't mind me borrowing this, Miko-chan."  Saying it more to herself than Erian.  It wasn't long after that that Erian was upon Karoline again.

After several exchanged blows and blocks, the possessed Erian grabbed the staff, forcing both girls to struggle for possession of the staff and close enough to even butt heads.  "I don't know what the hell's gotten into you, Miko-chan, but I will stop you!"  Sure enough, Karoline pulled her head back and brought it down upon Erian's.

The sound of pebbles and wood hitting the stone floor echoed in the dark room.  Both girls stood in a daze from the impact of the headbutting, more so Karoline since she unintentionally hit and broke Erian's gem.  "You're kidding.  It was on her head of all places."  She said in a dazed voice.  She quickly shook her head and regained her bearings, deciding to kick the ass of the person who thought of the insulting joke of having a gem on a blind girl's forehead as a third eye later, and focus on her fight.

Acting quickly, Karoline ran at Erian one last time.  With full momentum, Karoline ran slightly past the possessed priestess and performed a roundhouse kick to the back of her head.  Erian  unceremoniously fell face first onto the ground with a loud thud, effectively knocking her out.

"Damn, you really made me work for that, didn't you, Miko-chan?"  Karoline said as she walked over Erian.  Both of them would definitely feel all of the pain when they woke up the next morning from the beating they gave each other.  None of that seemed to amount to the excruciating pain that Karoline was feeling, which was now focused in her shoulder blades.  "Shit.  Hurts like a bitch, and you didn't even hit me back there."

Kneeling down by Erian and flipping her over so she would be facing up.  An expression of pain was written across her face, but it didn't seem to be caused by the blows the two girls traded.  Sensing the pain, Karoline did the only thing she could think of that would help.  She sat down and placed Erian's head in her lap before saying, "This may sound strange, but I hope my singing does its job."

Taking a deep breath, Karoline began to sing a calming and soul touching song that echoed throughout the ruins.  Her symphonic voice held such beauty that it would drive angels to jealousy.  Soon, more voices began to join with Karoline in her song, making it seem as if a choir of heavenly angels were singing for the girls.

Erian soon awoke to the melodious voices that seemed to be singing for her.  The anger, the sadness, the pain, and the memories had suddenly vanished.  Peace, that was the sensation that the singing brought.  Suddenly, she began violently coughing, and vomited a strange black sludge.  It began to evaporate the moment it hit the ground, hissing and crying in pain as it disappeared.  Unknown to both, the pool of sludge that had gathered by the wall began to do the same.

"M- Ms. Karoline?  Wh-what happened?"  Erian asked weakly.

Karoline immediately stopped singing as she turned her attention to Erian.  "Miko-chan!"  Hugging the priestess tightly with a fox-like smile.  "You're okay!"

"Ms. Karoline, what happened to me?"  Erian asked again.

"I'm not sure.  You seemed to go into some kind of bloodthirsty rage for some reason."  Karoline explained.  "Went completely wild and unlike yourself.  Are you some kind of berserker?"

"Wh-what?!  B-but that's not possible!  I haven't felt the presence of any demons, nor have I been asleep!"  Erian exclaimed in panic.

"Well, I think it had to do with that stuff you threw up."  Karoline pointed out.  "What did you eat this morning?"

"Nothing that- Wait, that puddle I fell in.  I remember landing in it and then the pain.  That liquid must be the cause."  Erian recalled as she looked to where the puddle had been, only to sense nothing.

Karoline looked up and towards the wall where the puddle had been.  "I'm afraid I can't see anything over there, Miko-chan."

"I don't sense anything either."  Erian confirmed.

"Well, regardless, let's get the hell out of here."  Karoline said as she slowly picked herself up.

"Yes, we shou-"  Stopping mid-sentence as she clutched her head in pain.

"Uh, yeah.  That'd be my fault."  Karoline said with a hint of embarrassment.  "I kinda hit your head a few times to knock you out, and broke your gem by accident.  Anyway, let me get you out of here."  She put Erian's arm around her shoulder and let the shorter girl lean on her to help the priestess walk.  She made sure to pick up and give the priestess her staff before carrying Erian up the stairs.

The assent from the stairs and out of the temple had been a silent one, as both were preoccupied by the events that had occurred.  It wasn't until they reached the Arch that Erian broke the silence, "M- I mean, Karoline?"

"What's up, Miko-chan?"  Smiling now that the priestess said her name without the formality.

"I just wanted to thank you.  For helping me."

"Hey, don't worry about it.  What are friends for?"  Karoline said with her trademark smile as they a left the Ancient Ruins through the portal.

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That voice!  That damnable voice!  Curse that wretch of a woman to hell!

Never mind, it matters not.  I am free and she does not possess nearly as much power as her.  It is only a matter of time before I may resume my once tarnished dream.  This world shall be mine, and I will have my revenge!  She will experience a hell worse than any other as the world she once loved and protected, is consumed and corrupted.

After all, the nightmare has only just begun.